Life preserver



T. l. POTTER LIFE PRESERVER Jan. 8 1924 Filed May 26. 1922 Aff..

Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATE-S 1,480,417 PATENT oFF'llcl-z.

THOMAS IRVING POTTER, OF EASTvOR-ANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FEDERATED ENGINEERS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A COR- PORATION OF DELAWARE.

LIFE PRESERVER.

Application filed May 26, 1922.- Serial No. 563,915.

To all whom it mayv concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS I. POTTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Life Preserver.

The invention relatesl to improvements in life preservers, an object of the invention being to provide a device of this character so constructed that it will support the head of an unconscious person out of thewater.

A further object is to provide a life preserver which is reversible, which may be quickly donned `or removed, which willbe eiicient in use, simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture. v j

Vith these andother objects in view, the invention consists in certain vnovel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a perspective view illustrating the manner of use of my improvedvlife preserver.

Figure 2 server.-

Referring in detail to the drawings, I have shown a life preserver designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 1 which is in the form of a jacket and which is provided with novel means for supporting the head of an unconscious person in such a manner that his face will be kept out of the water. The invention in this particular instance does not. reside broadly in the provision of means for soV supporting the head of avperson using the life preserver but vresides more specifically in the provision of means integral with the jacket for doing so, thus eliminating the use ofl attached or attaehable collars which greatly increase the cost of manufacturing the life preservers.

My improved jacket which is reversible as above noted, preferably comprises a single piece of flexible material. Straps or other suitable securing .devices 2 are attached to the opposite side edgesof the jacket and are adapted to be tied together is a plan view of the life prel at the front thereof to secure the same in position. Suitable arm holes 3 are provided for the reception of the arms of a wearer. The intermediate portion of the upper end of the piece of material which forms substantially rigid connection between the body and the collar. The collar is highest at. its intermediate portion to etfectlvel-y support the head of a person lying on his back in the water and the collar `diminishes gradually in height from its intermediate portion to the point where it'joins the upper edge of the front of the jacket adjacent the side edges thereof. These sloping web portions 7 at each lside of the buoyantly reinforced part of the collar serve to eRectively prevent th-e head of an unconscious man from rolling sidewise until the face is submerged.

' Due to the buoyancy at the front of the jacket, 'a person using the same is almost instantly thrown over on hisv back when he falls into the water withv the. jacket on. The reinforced portionsofthe 'collar successfully maintains the head of a wearer out of the water when he is conscious and the webbed portions 7 prevent the head from rolling sidewise a dangerous distance should the wearer lose consciousness. As seen most clearly in Figure 1 of the drawings, the

collar portion or extension 4 when the jacket is worn rassumes the shape of what might roughly be termed 'an inclined head supporting trough.

The lower edge of the jacket is preferably cut away as indicated at 8 in a curve corresponding to the curve of the upper edge of lthe collar. This cut-away portion provides slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described Without departing lfrom the invention and hence, I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth, butshall consider myself at liberty'to -make such slight changes and alterations from adjacent the top of said extension to v the intermediate portion of said 'body at la point normally disposed Well below Wearers shoulders whereby to effect a substantially rigid connection between the body portion and the head supporting extension.

2. A life preserver comprising a flexible body portion buoyantly reinforced adjacent its side edges, an integral head supporting extension at the intermediate portion of the upper edge of said body portion, buoyant reinforcing material arranged to extend from adjacent the top of said extension to the intermediate portion of said body at a point normally disposed Well below Wearers shoulders whereby to effect a substantially rigid connection between the body portion and the head supporting extension, said extension including tapered side web portions adapted to co-operate with the reinforced central portion thereof to form a head receiving trough when the preserver edges of said body portion, an integral head supporting extension intermediate the ends of the Vupper edge of said body portion, a relatively short vertically disposed buoyant reinforcement at the intermediate portion of the body extending well into said head supporting extension.

4. A life preserver includin a body portion buoyantl reinforced adjacent its side edges, a hea supporting extension intermediate the ends of the upper edge of said body portion, and means buoyantly reinforcirflrg the central portion of said extension and e eating a substantially rigid connection between said extension and said body portion.

5. A belt or jacket life preserver comprising a flexible body portion buoyantly reinforced adjacent its edges, a substantially rigid longitudinally arranged buoyant reinforcement at the intermediate portion of said body portion, the upper end of said reinforcement extending well `beyond the shoulder Aline of the jacket to support andV prevent rearward swinging movement of a Wearers head.

THOMAS IRVING POTTER. 

